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Moved to media - CF
Why did it take the CBC more than 10 years to cut Ghomeshi loose?
Thu, 2014-10-30 21:52
#1
Why did it take the CBC more than 10 years to cut Ghomeshi loose?
Thu, 2014-10-30 22:11
#2
Apparently Jian's behaviour was widely known in certain circles for over 10 years, so why didn't the CBC do the right thing and fire him a long time ago.
Was it only because the story was going public, so like Ghomeshi trying to get out in front of the story by hiring Navigator and his with his Facebook article, the CBC decided to fire him in their clumsy attempt to avoid responsibility themselves?
Where is the integrity Canadians expected from their national public broadcaster?
By not addressing the issue when it first came to light the CBC administration have allowed the CBC to become fair game to attack by commercial media.
Sad indeed!
PS A hint to some of the guys here - you might want to consider not posting in feminist threads as some of your remarks there are inappropriate to say the least.
Fri, 2014-10-31 00:11
#3
Bingo!
So CBC - in 2010, how was this complaint addressed?
Unfortunately, and sadly, the CBC is not what a lot of well-intentioned people think it is.
Q producer who alleges Ghomeshi threatened to ‘hate f—‘ her says she complained to boss in 2010
When in 2010 she revealed to the show’s executive producer that the host had said he wanted to “hate f—” her, and had groped her buttocks, the manager suggested there was no point confronting Mr. Ghomeshi about his actions, the woman said.
“[The executive producer's] comment to me was …’He’s never going to change, you’re a malleable person, let’s talk about how you can make this a less toxic work environment for you,” the woman recalled. “No one was going to talk to Jian, he was too big. The show was a f—-ing juggernaut at that point. His face and name were inextricably linked with the brand of Q.”
The woman, now 35, also said she observed some unusual dating strategies by Mr. Ghomeshi. He would search for messages about him posted on Twitter or Facebook by women who appeared attractive, then contacted them directly, she said.
“He did this every single night,” the former producer said. “He was soliciting non stop. It was his playground.”
Like many of the women who have come out this week with allegations of sexual misconduct by Mr. Ghomeshi, the ex-CBC employee said she was not willing to have her name published, fearful of backlash on social media, and from the Q star himself.
Neither Mr. Ghomeshi’s lawyer nor his publicist responded to requests for comment Thursday on the producer’s allegations.
http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/10/30/q-journalist-who-alleges-ghomesh...
Fri, 2014-10-31 00:20
#4
Jian Ghomeshi dumped by PR firm over ‘lies,’ sources say
Navigator, a high-profile PR firm, dropped former CBC host after Star investigation detailed allegations of assault or harassment by at least eight women.
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2014/10/30/jian_ghomeshi_dumped_by_pr_fi...
Fri, 2014-10-31 08:28
#5
Also, were all these interns paid for their work?
Carleton University reviewing student records after Ghomeshi allegations
In the wake of sexual assault allegations against former radio host Jian Ghomeshi, Carleton University is reviewing its records of students who did internships at CBC Toronto and offering counselling to anyone who might want it.
The university says it has determined that 53 Carleton journalism students did apprenticeships at the CBC Broadcast Centre in Toronto between 2004 and 2014.
http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/carleton-university-reviewing-s...
Fri, 2014-10-31 08:38
#6
Behind the CBC’s decision to fire Ghomeshi
When he arrived at the Sunday meeting, his dismissal was not yet a foregone conclusion, one source confirmed. Had he expressed remorse, or offered to seek treatment, the CBC would have had to consider its next steps carefully. Yet Mr. Ghomeshi remained unrepentant. He was let go, and the CBC’s board of directors was told of his departure.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/behind-the-cbcs-decision-to...
Fri, 2014-10-31 08:50
#7
The dam breaks on Jian Ghomeshi
http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2014/10/30/robyn-urback-the-dam-brea...
Fri, 2014-10-31 08:57
#8
Your Move Jian
Fri, 2014-10-31 09:00
#9
This is going to end very badly for Jian, and I am beginning to wonder I wonder if Jian might even be going to go to jail.
Fri, 2014-10-31 11:26
#10
Tough questions for CBC
http://www.sunnewsnetwork.ca/sunnews/straighttalk/archives/2014/10/20141...
Fri, 2014-10-31 11:28
#11
Jian Ghomeshi: A timeline for the scandal involving the former CBC radio host
http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/10/30/jian-ghomeshi-a-timeline-for-the...
Fri, 2014-10-31 12:16
#12
Timebandit
The CBC has hired an outside investigator to probe what it calls “extremely disturbing” reports about fired radio host Jian Ghomeshi.
“Over the last 12 hours, as you undoubtedly already know, we have become aware of further accounts of impropriety towards our employees (and other individuals) through another Toronto Star story, on As It Happens last night and again this morning on The Current,” read an internal memo from EVP of English services Heather Conway that was issued on Thursday afternoon.
...
“Given the serious nature of what has been reported, we are currently in the process of selecting a third-party company who will conduct a rigorous, independent investigation beyond what’s already done,” she said.
Read more: http://playbackonline.ca/2014/10/31/cbc-hires-outside-company-for-jian-ghomeshi-probe/#ixzz3Hjvhuj5C
Note: It's a subscriber site, so there will likely be limited access to the article.
Fri, 2014-10-31 12:22
#13
An interview with Jesse Brown, the crowdfunded journalist who helped get Jian Ghomeshi fired
How much more can we expect to come from this Jian story? Have we just scratched the surface?
Stay tuned. We’ve only just begun.
http://www.torontolife.com/informer/people/2014/10/30/qa-jesse-brown-cro...
Fri, 2014-10-31 12:41
#14
Unfortunately the CBC appears to be digging its own grave, and the people who have called for reducing their budget and/or shutting them will now receive much more support for their concerns.
After all:
- Peter Mansbridge getting paid by the oil industry
- CBC News Department being basically an arm of the LPC
- No one resigning over the revelations about the host of "Q"
Fri, 2014-10-31 13:09
#15
Timebandit
Your allegation re: LPC is bullshit. Knock it off.
Fri, 2014-10-31 15:36
#16
Catchfire
Moving to media. It would be nice if this thread was actually a discussion rather than just a spammy repost of what has already been posted in the other thread. NR, try to remember that just posting a series of links without comment is bad etiquette. This is a discussion board.
Fri, 2014-10-31 15:54
#17
Apparently Jian's behaviour was widely known in certain circles for over 10 years, so why didn't the CBC do the right thing and fire him a long time ago.
The Cliffs Notes version - he was too successful and his followers represented too much of the CBC's audience for them to cut him loose.
Fri, 2014-10-31 16:35
#18
laine lowe
Further to abnormal's Cliffs Notes version, here is an account in 30 tweets:
[url=https://storify.com/JeetHeer1/the-political-economy-of-jian-ghomeshi]The Political Economy of Jian Ghomeshi[/url]
Fri, 2014-10-31 18:06
#19
The Jian Ghomeshi story just keeps getting worse
The latest allegations against the radio host paint a horrible if all-too-familiar picture
http://www.salon.com/2014/10/31/the_jian_ghomeshi_story_just_keeps_getti...
Fri, 2014-10-31 19:22
#20
So it was a misinterpreted tweet that lead to his downfall.
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2014/10/31/jian_ghomeshi_showed_cbc_v...
By early October, with Ghomeshi still doing his show five days a week, CBC and Navigator thought the storm had passed, sources say.
Two weeks ago, Brown said on his podcast that he was working on a “monster” story that would be “worse than embarrasing for certain parties”. Brown has told the Star that he was referring to a different story, and it had nothing to do with Ghomeshi. Sources connected to CBC and Navigator said they now understand this to be the case.
But when Brown’s podcast came out, Ghomeshi’s concern over imminent publication prompted him to ask for a meeting with CBC late Thursday, Oct. 23. At that meeting, according to sources, he presented “material that we had not seen before.”
The material included photos and a series of videos “Ghomeshi believed were exculpatory of his conduct.” The sources say Ghomeshi went to great lengths to explain that during what he termed “consensual BDSM sex” it was possible to leave bruises.
Fri, 2014-10-31 19:44
#21
What is the exact purpose of this duplicate thread?
Fri, 2014-10-31 19:50
#22
It was started because some of the the guys here should not be posting in the feminist thread.
What's not to understand about that!
Fri, 2014-10-31 20:14
#23
bekayne,
Canadaland, of Jesse Brown fame, is a much-needed response to Canada's elitist, but very, very powerful mainstream media clap-trap.
Obviously, if the CBC had a healthy work environment, Jian would have been cut loose a long time ago.
Many Canadians have often been embarassed having the current government in power in Ottawa.
How many Canadians are now equally embarrassed by Canada's national public broadcaster, the CBC.
CBC News Boss Attacks Journalist
Jennifer McGuire singles out one critic, ignores the rest
http://canadalandshow.com/article/cbc-news-boss-attacks-journalist
Fri, 2014-10-31 20:52
#24
The last thread was opened by NorthReport to attack the CBC for firing Ghomeshi.
This thread was opened by NorthReport to attack the CBC for not firing him sooner.
Fri, 2014-10-31 21:16
#25
NS
The last thread was opened by NorthReport to attack the CBC for firing Ghomeshi.
This thread was opened by NorthReport to attack the CBC for not firing him sooner.
great observation wage zombie!
The CBC has certainly looked out for itself but now appears (The Star online is reporting tonight) that its Execs saw the video that showed Ghomeshi with a woman he said were engaged in BDSM. Why didnt the execs go to the police after they saw this? Also CBC hired the PR FOR him and knew (NOT FOR 10 YRS) BUT STILL A LONG six months that there were allegations out there (on twitter etc).
Ofcourse, there are those using this as a stick to beat down the CBC with. Certain questions have to be asked at the very least what the kind of culture that prevails that allows Ghomeshi a free pass to the their golden boy. There may be even be more video purportedly showing him abusing women.
Fri, 2014-10-31 21:31
#26
Thats easy NR. He went to them and informed them up front and they took him at his word that it was all just about his bedroom habits until they saw the videos and wondered about it which was recent remember, after they heard about a Star article
Fri, 2014-10-31 21:53
#27
Excellent article. Although "progressive" - I don't agree about the way that adjective is being defined.
Sexual assault in progressive spaces: Thinking about the Jian Ghomeshi allegations
In progressive circles, there is often a misguided notion that we must concentrate our efforts on smashing neoliberalism, and that any distractions from that goal should be quietly swept under the rug. We shouldn't talk about abusive sexual practices of our comrades, because doing so divides us and strengthens the conservative agenda. Such thinking is extremely damaging and a betrayal to all victims and survivors of sexual assault.
This brings me to a sad realization: perhaps, we progressive feminist-leaning men are the most dangerous of all. There's something particularly conniving and frightening about men who exploit feminist credentials with the thought that there might be a sexual payoff at the end of the tunnel.
Ghomeshi fits this predatory profile: women's studies major, former Student Union activist and champion of many progressive causes. He, and others like us, have a lot to gain from being granted access to spheres of society not traditionally available for people who come from relative positions of privilege, and composed of many vulnerable, trusting and loving individuals.
This is among the reasons why women-only spaces are so important, why cisgender men should seriously reflect on whether to outwardly identifying as feminist or allies and why we must challenge ourselves to strengthen our awareness of consent and reject all the ways that exist to excerpt power over partners and subtly coerce physical or emotional affections from them.
http://rabble.ca/news/2014/10/sexual-assault-progressive-spaces-thinking...
Fri, 2014-10-31 22:12
#28
NS
Bacchus i understand what you are saying. But the execs did not inform the police after they had fired him. I dunno, its odd thing to do go along with him make him think you're on his side , consult with lawyers to terminate him. They had a couple of days to consider what to do with the knowledge of the information/evidence. Tonight, CBC sent out a memo to their employers going around on twitter.The police investigation should look at the execs behaviour too. Not saying there is a coverup but they should be grilled.
Fri, 2014-10-31 22:24
#29
Privacy laws in the workplace would prob not allow them to take it any farther NR. I know you hate the CBC but they did the right thing in this
Fri, 2014-10-31 22:32
#30
Bad behaviour can always be justified but it does not mean it is appropriate or correct.
Let's face it, Ghomeshi was the CBC's golden nugget, and they were going to do whatever it took to protect him.
It appears that it was only when the CBC discovered that other media had the story, and the CBC were going to be outed, did they decide to act.
The police have already opened an investigation.
Progressive my ass.
Fri, 2014-10-31 22:48
#31
Anyone who has been in a position to fire someone takes it very serious. Unless they are sociopaths. You are balancing incomplete information, often conflicting, with a persons livelihood, their families security and their reputation.
From the timelines I've seen the CBC execs acted appropriately.
Fri, 2014-10-31 22:52
#32
NS
Bacchus i can honestly say i dont hate the CBC. I grew up watching it, relied on it for news and entertainment. Its great organization and im sure the people are great too. Im not a run of the mill CBC hater. They do alot of things well, but there are issues that they dont cover as well. I think we need a national broadcaster that is not corporate but is accountable. Im just having a difficult time understanding why these particular execs didnt report him. I dont know what privacy has to do with it, maybe explain to me.
NorthREport, so not sure what you mean by using progressive. ive never viewed CBC as progressive. The reason why it bends over backwards to appease those in power or stay balanced/neutral/objective is exactly that - the right/conservatives scream lefty or progressive to keep in line much like the BBC.
Fri, 2014-10-31 23:48
#33
NS
Sorry people for replying to NR's comments addressed to him/her.I thought they were addressed to me - NS thought they were typos.
Fri, 2014-10-31 23:48
#34
NS
Sorry people for replying to NR's comments addressed to him/her.I thought they were addressed to me - NS thought they were typos.
Sat, 2014-11-01 00:12
#35
Shit happens NS, dont sweat it.
Sat, 2014-11-01 01:15
#36
Jian Ghomeshi story shouldn’t have gotten this ugly: DiManno
Week’s events are a modern parable about the cult of celebrity, the excesses of entitlement and the consequences of sexual compulsions unplugged.
And still the CBC, a network funded by taxpayer dollars, cowers behind privacy manifestos and human relations policy rather than answering urgent questions about what they knew — or had damn good reason to suspect — and when they knew it. Instead the CBC has outsourced the investigation, in the same way that governments appoint inquiries and commissions when scandals erupt, essentially to validate silence and buy time.
But the network clearly can’t contain this mess. Every day has brought fresh allegations, via interviews and personal blogs. Every day it becomes more apparent that the warnings about non-consensual violence had been there for quite a long time. In early April, there was a Twitter blurt — 13 tweets — sent by, it appears, a female Carleton University student, who accused Ghomeshi of luring her to his house, punching her and, she suggested, keeping videos of his violent interactions with women.
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2014/10/31/jian_ghomeshi_story_shouldnt_...
Sat, 2014-11-01 10:46
#37
Jian Ghomeshi departure gives CBC Radio a chance to revamp cultural programming on Q
According to The Tower of Babble, Ghomeshi urged Stursberg to give him the prized morning slot, telling the CBC mandarin, "Put me in. We'll move the numbers."
Stursberg then asked Ghomeshi if he thought he could beat Gzowski and Rogers.
"Yes. Guaranteed," Ghomeshi replied.
Stursberg described Ghomeshi as "so clever, so charming and so driven".
However, the program that Ghomeshi created could never be described as a pillar of Canadian culture.
Since going on the air, Q has featured an endless number of interviews with American entertainers and journalists, with the occasional commentator from the Guardian or other British outlets sprinkled in from time to time.
That's not surprising if the goal has been to get onto American public-radio stations and build an audience south of the Canadian border.
I've been astonished that CBC Radio's most ballyhooed cultural-affairs radio show has so little Canadian content.
The network papered over this by having Ghomeshi host the popular Canada Reads series, which featured books by Canadian authors.
This way, he could wave the flag and have something to point to if anyone complained that there was too much Roger Ebert and Billy Bob Thornton and not nearly enough Bard on the Beach.
http://www.straight.com/news/761661/jian-ghomeshi-departure-gives-cbc-ra...
http://www.straight.com/news/761821/reasonable-doubt-jian-ghomeshi-sexua...
Sat, 2014-11-01 10:54
#38
Sat, 2014-11-01 11:48
#39
I dated Jian Ghomeshi, Canada's fallen radio star
One of Canada’s most famous broadcasters is accused of choking, bruising, and biting several women. Now I see our relationship in a new light
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/nov/01/jian-ghomeshi-i-dat...
Sat, 2014-11-01 11:59
#40
Does Jian Ghomeshi's arrogance know no bounds?
Why author Noah Richler never liked Jian Ghomeshi, and still doesn't.
http://www.thestar.com/opinion/commentary/2014/10/31/does_jian_ghomeshis...
Sat, 2014-11-01 12:07
#41
I'm with Richler. Used to switch off the radio the second he came on. Always found him to be slimy, pretentious and phony. No wonder he was so successful at CBC...
Sat, 2014-11-01 13:37
#42
Jian Ghomeshi scandal a teachable moment
The controversy engulfing the CBC Radio star has changed the framework of our conversation about sexual assault and its blatant and familiar subtext of denial and victim-blaming
Sat, 2014-11-01 16:22
#43
Their News Department is fucked. Peter Mansbridge takes money from the oil industry, and now their biggest star is done like dinner.
When women working for the CBC complained about Ghomeshi they were told to suck it up.
Could this be doing irreparable damage to the CBC?
Jian Dhomeshi scandal becomming a tipping point for anger over mistreatment of women
http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/10/31/jian-ghomeshi-scandal-becoming-a...
Sat, 2014-11-01 16:37
#44
Except for Sheila Copps!
One week into scandal, Jian Ghomeshi's cupboard of allies is almost bare
https://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/dailybrew/one-week-into-scandal-jian-gho...
Sat, 2014-11-01 16:40
#45
Their News Department is fucked. Peter Mansbridge takes money from the oil industry, and now their biggest star is done like dinner.
When women working for the CBC complained about Ghomeshi they were told to suck it up.
Could this be doing irreparable damage to the CBC?
That would appear to be your wish, unfortunately, and Stephen Harper's.
I doubt if one employer in 1,000,000 would have handled this differently - or rather, better - than the CBC has so far. I speak from experience.
Sat, 2014-11-01 17:08
#46
Yup, the CBC handled things so well.
I am disappointed with your comments Unionist.
It was marked by alternating charm, emotional “cruelty” and sexual harassment from Mr. Ghomeshi — and a shrug of the shoulders from her manager when she complained about the host’s behaviour, charged the ex-producer.“We were always on pins and needles, and we were always scared,” she said. “Jian had created this environment of tyranny, no one was standing up to him, everyone enabled his behaviour.”
When in 2010 she revealed to the show’s executive producer that the host had said he wanted to “hate f—” her, and had groped her buttocks, the manager suggested there was no point confronting Mr. Ghomeshi about his actions, the woman said.
“[The executive producer's] comment to me was …’He’s never going to change, you’re a malleable person, let’s talk about how you can make this a less toxic work environment for you,” the woman recalled. “No one was going to talk to Jian, he was too big. The show was a f—-ing juggernaut at that point. His face and name were inextricably linked with the brand of Q.”
The woman, now 35, also said she observed some unusual dating strategies by Mr. Ghomeshi. He would search for messages about him posted on Twitter or Facebook by women who appeared attractive, then contacted them directly, she said.
“He did this every single night,” the former producer said. “He was soliciting non stop. It was his playground.”
Like many of the women who have come out this week with allegations of sexual misconduct by Mr. Ghomeshi, the ex-CBC employee said she was not willing to have her name published, fearful of backlash on social media, and from the Q star himself.
http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/10/30/q-journalist-who-alleges-ghomesh...
Sat, 2014-11-01 17:15
#47
Laurna Tallman · Partner at Northern Light Books Editorial Services
After all our efforts to try to spare the CBC from the hatchet work of Stephen Harper, it looks as though the tree will topple from rot within.
http://o.canada.com/news/national/blatchford-jian-ghomeshi-sex-scandal-a...
Their News Department is fucked. Peter Mansbridge takes money from the oil industry, and now their biggest star is done like dinner.
When women working for the CBC complained about Ghomeshi they were told to suck it up.
Could this be doing irreparable damage to the CBC?
That would appear to be your wish, unfortunately, and Stephen Harper's.
I doubt if one employer in 1,000,000 would have handled this differently - or rather, better - than the CBC has so far. I speak from experience.
Sat, 2014-11-01 17:18
#48
Yup, the CBC handled things so well.
I am disappointed with your comments Unionist.
Learn to read. There are almost no employers - zero - that I know which create truly safe spaces for women to speak out against workplace harassment or violence, without having to worry about shaming, career or job impact, disbelief, retaliation. Singling out the CBC will come as a real "disappointment" (to use your words) to women throughout the economy who have to face harassment, discrimination, and violence every day.
Perhaps you have some glowing examples of enlightened employers in this respect?
Gee, whaddya know, I didn't think so.
Sat, 2014-11-01 17:30
#49
This is the issue.
The Ghomeshi syndrome: Delusional creeps, from Clarence Thomas to Gamergate
Behind the Canadian radio host's downfall lies a strange and dangerous male pathology: Clueless dude disorder
Shoshana B. Roberts, Clarence Thomas, Jian Ghomeshi (Credit: YouTube/AP/John Duricka/Arthur Mola/Photo montage by Salon
Indeed, what makes the Ghomeshi story so startling and so potent is the contrast between what we saw on the surface (or believed we saw) and the apparently disordered personal life that lay underneath. Here was a charismatic and successful journalist with an intriguing personal history, an alt-rock past and an intellectual veneer. He emanated progressive values, cultural sensitivity and Torontonian sophistication, and was well known as a supporter and ally of LGBT cultural figures. I feel certain that Ghomeshi viewed the Rodger case with appropriate male-feminist horror, and stood ready to cast the misogynist trolls of Gamergate into the cultural darkness. (I was a guest on “Q” at least twice, but I don’t know him personally.)
It would have shocked precisely nobody to learn that Ghomeshi was a big-time player with a girl (or a guy) in every port; we live in relatively liberated times, and even Canadians need some excitement. Furthermore, just to be clear, if he were into extreme rough sex or BDSM and his partners had all been willing participants, I’d be in the chorus telling people to mind their own damn business. Ghomeshi’s disastrous Facebook post, after the CBC had fired him and just before the big Toronto Star story about his conduct with women was about to break, tried to strike precisely that tone: I’m a Wild and Crazy Guy! If you puritans can’t handle it, that’s your problem. In hindsight, what’s striking there is the profound and genuine-sounding level of denial; that guy really believes he has done nothing wrong.
Unfortunately, the mounting evidence – except for those of you who wish to cling to the bitch-conspiracy hypothesis — suggests that Ghomeshi gets off on something more disturbing and insidious than a bit of rough play, which has now and again been misinterpreted by unhappy customers. He appears to brutalize women who don’t like it and don’t want it, while convincing himself that “no means yes” and it’s all consensual and fine, and he’s still the good guy he always thought he was. The idea that someone who seems so intelligent and perceptive on the radio turns out to be an obtuse and self-deluded creep behind closed doors, to the point of what sounds like a serious personality disorder – I mean, it’s more like a cliché than a surprise, but one that points at some dangerous cultural truths.
But crucifying and/or psychoanalyzing Jian Ghomeshi is not the point; for better or worse, he’s toast. It’s the obtuseness and self-delusion at work — what I earlier called the pathological cluelessness — that links the Ghomeshi case to Gamergate and Elliot Rodger and Clarence Thomas. I remember a female friend telling me that even though she completely believed Anita Hill’s testimony she felt sorry for Thomas, a man so awkward in his own skin that his best effort at flirting with an attractive woman was to describe bestiality porn and discover a pubic hair on his Coke. Ever since the big Senate showdown between Thomas and Hill 23 years ago – an epoch-shaping event that put sexual harassment on the cultural-political map — journalists and historians have generally taken the line that one of them had to be lying. I don’t see it that way: Like Ghomeshi, the eminent jurist convinced himself he had done nothing wrong, and that whatever comments he may or may not have made about blondes fellating horses were harmless, jocular, large-spirited and suave. (As someone with a close relative on the autism spectrum, I tend to resist any connection between this kind of male pathology and that diagnosis. In Thomas’ case, it might fit.)
This issue is about the persistent male tendency not to notice, or not to care, when you’ve crossed the line into unwanted attention or harassment or stalking or abuse or assault. (The context does not have to be sexual; this is also a viable explanation for the phenomenon known as “mansplaining.”) Or rape. Because that’s what we’re finally talking about, isn’t it? Some of the accounts of Ghomeshi’s accusers sound an awful lot like forcible, nonconsensual sex acts. Like rape-rape. And that’s the ultimate function of this narcissistic disorder, or whatever it is: To compel someone else to submit to your desire when she doesn’t want to, to subordinate her will to your own, to insist — to yourself, first and foremost — that you know her wishes better than she does and that you’re not doing anything wrong. Or at least not wrong-wrong.
Hold off on those #notallmen tweets and those accusations of “misandry,” guys. First of all, an exaggerated defensive reaction to an article about weird and clueless behavior just doesn’t make you look good. (I tell you this because I care.) Furthermore, I’m not saying that all men are guilty for the offenses of Ghomeshi and Rodger and Thomas and the Gamergate geeks and every other woman-hating creep. I am saying that those things hurt women and poison men, and that protecting or defending men who trend in that direction is not doing our gender any favors. Most men do not chronically mistreat women and lie to themselves about it, and that’s great.
But it’s not enough to proclaim that we’re free of disease when we see the effects of the plague all around us. If we’re being honest with ourselves, we’ve all known that guy as a friend, a family member or a colleague — the creepy, overly insistent dude who pushes too hard and says the wrong things and won’t take no for an answer and mostly seems harmless — and we’ve tolerated him for way too long. Infamously, 52 men in the United States Senate convinced themselves that Anita Hill was lying for inscrutable woman reasons, or else that Clarence Thomas’ lecherous and turdlike conduct toward women had no bearing on his suitability for the highest court in the land. Jian Ghomeshi’s friends, it appears, knew he was a “bad date” prone to “strange behavior” and “ridiculous pick-up lines.” They didn’t tell him that beating up women without their consent was deeply wrong and he needed help. Thomas will have an enduring impact on history, for good or ill, while Ghomeshi will soon be forgotten. The level of shame, in both cases, is about the same.
http://www.salon.com/2014/11/01/the_ghomeshi_syndrome_delusional_creeps_...
Sat, 2014-11-01 17:50
#50
the cbc has been under attack for decades. funding pulled, rite-sized, numbers driven, infected with horrible commercials and horrible hosts, dumbed down.
all but privatized.
would this mess have happened or gone on for so long in a true publically funded, publically mandated, public broadcaster?
meet the new poster boy for neo-liberalism.
-
Sat, 2014-11-01 17:59
#51
Attempting to make excuses for bad behaviour is disappointing.